Read Baby, Read!!!

The thing about the doctoral process, is that it filled with so many tricks of the trade and people hold on to those tricks like secret squirrels. I find it to be so stupid; but saute' and sizzle my academics, saute and sizzle. Anyhow, in a class for a certification program that I am in, someone asked in another context, "What do you now know, that you didn't know before?" I applied this to the PhD process and answered in my head, "A WHOLE BUNCH OF SHIT!" But, one of the most important things that I learned is that you don't need acceptance into a program to begin the process. That is, START READING before you even get there! If you have an interest, read about it! Get an idea of what has been done in the literature and you will begin to formulate ideas and research interests. Similarly, you will find out where paucity in the literature lies, and how you can contribute. It sounds so cliche, but reading really is the best way to be informed. Familiarize yourself with the dissertation proposal and research methods. Theoretical frameworks, quantitative and qualitative analyses. Learn the nomenclature. Study the scholarly language because it's nothing like your undergrad term papers. Go into this thing equipped to go H.A.M. on the program. Read, baby, read.